The 1914 Christmas Truce

As we celebrate Christmas today, perhaps its worth recalling the Christmas Truce of 1914, when, for a few days 104 years ago, the terrible slaughter of World War I stopped and the ordinary officers and men of both sides met in No Man's Land to sing carols, exchange gifts and play soccer.
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[@shadowtrooper262]

104 years ago.... Time passes by very fast......

[@blackbird_actual]

How sad, to have to go back to trying to kill someone who you have no personal anger against. War is hell and words are much more preferable than bullets as a means of resolving conflict. I hope you have a Merry Christmas, Mark - your videos are always great!

[@kidslovef1155]

So nice to see a holiday bring two enemies together. Truly amazing.

[@knutdergroe9757]

Enemies, only by politicians (Generals that are politicians). Men are men no matter what language they speak, or where they are from. God Bless and MERRY CHRISTMAS.

[@HiTechOilCo]

Not just any holiday, but the birth of our Lord and savior Jesus. :) We can be sure this event would not have occurred for just any holiday.

[@g13flat]

Lions led by donkeys on both sides.

[@knutdergroe9757]

AMEN !!!!!

[@itsjohndell]

Well said, Sir. Well said.

[@norwayitalo]

well said

[@thomasbeck9075]

Merry Christmas Dr. Mark

[@waynethesnowleopard324]

Well the christmas truce dind't work in ww2

[@shadowjack8]

2:06 "Getting the men to kill each other again was hard."

[@panzerraven4135]

Strangely enough I was expecting this video. Thank you so much Mark. Have a wonderful Christmass.

[@johnelliott7375]

Thank you and reposted on my public Facebook page with a little speech the American people needed to hear today. Merry Christmas

[@chrisneedham5803]

Strangely enough I was not expecting this video, it was a nice surprise. Thanks for all your videos and a Happy New Year.

[@shadowjack8]

Just yesterday I made reference to this on a History Guy vid. So when I came upon this today I had to edit my comments there and provide a link to this. Merry Christmas!

[@rianquinn7833]

Merry Christmas history buffs ♥️♥️

[@nerdothn892]

Merry Christmas

[@BC-ky7ps]

How could they kill each other after such wonderful play? War is always inhuman!

[@redram5150]

You have such a great voice for documentary narration. Informative and compelling. Keep it up, bud

[@brianrobson5208]

This is an inspirational series of events. Shame on the War hungry Generals, for who the horror of War they never suffered in person. Thank you Mark for covering this. Merry Christmas to all. 👍

[@FalertTheDim]

Who wants war? Not the average soldier. The average man of 1914 was made of the same stuff as we are today. Liking football, food, fun. Not barbed wire, gas or vicious murder. This video shows the strength of humanity, how it brings us together, even in the hellish trenches of WW1. Unfortunately it also shows the malevolent power of hatred, in that the truces did indeed end, and the slaughter resumed for almost 4 more years. History shows us both groups, those who made friends of their enemies, and those who made mincemeat of them. In 2018, we get to choose which men to emulate.

[@HiTechOilCo]

This video shows the power of God and his son Jesus. :)

[@aminechei8509]

@@HiTechOilCo how ?

[@jeetshannigrahi5315]

Hear Hear!

[@halfcantan1208]

I consider myself a fairly tough fella but this story always gives me a lump in my throat

[@kidslovef1155]

Merry Christmas! 🎄

[@ianmyers6643]

Great Video, Amazing what Normal Men will do, when not influenced by Officers or Politician, "Get Along". Merry Christmas Everyone.

[@martentrudeau6948]

They made a movie about this, "Joyeux Noel" (2005) it's movie everybody should watch, the individual soldiers were fighting for their countries, but on a personal level all the soldiers from both sides of the conflict had much in common, especially Christmas.

[@petervollhiem3109]

Both of my grandfathers fought for the Kaiser in WW1. One of them told me of the 1914 Christmas Truce when I was an early teenager in the late 1960s when he was staying with us. It was hearing the then popular "Snoopy and The Red Baron Christmas Song" that brought that story out of him. He didn't speak of the war until that day. I was the only one in the family that he would talk to, and after that day, he and I would stay up late and he would tell me about the war. Really horrible stuff that isn't in the history books. He told me that to stop the Christmas Truce from happening again - both sides would shell their own troops during the Christmas Holiday, to keep their respective armies from fraterizing with the enemy. After all, if they become friendly, there couldn't be a war. I miss my Grandfather - he was a real tough guy.

[@rafalsamek1486]

Merry Christmas to you all thanks for video cool 💪👍

[@trycoldman2358]

Merry Christmas you all.

[@Skysiah0503]

trycoldman23 Merry Christmas person who I see everywhere Nice videos by the way pretty damn good stop motion

[@DavidSmith-ss1cg]

It's been more than 50 years since I heard this story, and every time - the first time, too - I could just imagine the generals, shouting, "What the HELL do they think they're doing?"- and never once asking themSELVES that question...from ancient times, until this morning...and seeing no irony at all. Merry Christmas to everyone!

[@vacomments]

I knew about these events before but it is always good to remember them. They demonstrated the futility of WWI.

[@jacquesodier8260]

Thank you Mark. Merry Christmas to you and your beloved

[@maciejniedzielski7496]

Merry Christmas ! Frohe Weinachten ! Wesołych Świat Bożego Narodzenia ! Joyeux Noël ! 🎅

[@sarjim4381]

Merry Christmas, Mark, and my fellow history buffs. Thanks for this video. This was the topic I chose for one of two of my senior history papers. In addition to the most famous 1914 Western Front Christmas truce, small versions also occured on the Eastern Front. It seems this sprang from truces of several hours that happened regularly so both sides could retrieve their dead and wounded from no man's land. By Christmas, the men were fed up with the war that was going nowhere, and these short truces around Christmas expanded to the men of both side coming out of the trenches and fraternizing in no man's land. This only happened on small portions of the front, and the ones that succeeded did so because most officers above lieutenant were on Christmas leave. When some high officers came rushing back on word of the "mutinies", it was too late. One English colonel reportedly ordered his men to open fire and was instead shot himself. Christmas and Easter truces occured on various portions of the front in 1915 as well. Unfortunately, by 1916, the animosities of war on both sides made a repeat of 1914 impossible.

[@samiam5557]

A cheerful pause of the morbid "death dance" how quaint!

[@alexmarra6656]

One more episode of war history i have never know about, Until now, thank's mark

[@badlaamaurukehu]

Merry Christmas.

[@borbicus]

That football game was the game in the sainsbery ad. In the add they even put Saxon cockades on the German troop’s hats.

[@RudolfdeLang]

A toast to the germans who never came home for christmas :( (They too were children with a mom and dad)

[@marcusshaw3856]

Another great video. Merry Christmas and happy new year.

[@user-cf1se1kk5x]

This is the biggest nightmare for world leaders.

[@katel1272]

And the biggest dream for those on the front...

[@asheland_numismatics]

Merry Christmas everyone!

[@knutdergroe9757]

The story of the CHRISTMAS truce is just a great story. Always brings/gives hope, for mankind. Good job Mark, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, MAY THE NEW YEAR BE FULL OF BLESSINGS.

[@panzertracks]

Merry Christmas to all from South Texas!

[@Wallyworld30]

Merry Christmas Dr. Felton. Thanks for your awesome work. I look forward to each one of your videos!

[@catherinejeffries7999]

Even in the horror of warfare glimpses of humanity can still shine through . Merry Christmas everyone .

[@TheTiacat]

Wonderful video, there is an element of sadness about this story. Enemies who treated each-other as human beings for a short time.

[@finntastique3891]

It's beautiful and tragic at the same time. Anyway, marry Christmas to you all.

[@afghosting8772]

God forbid common men should communicate and spread good will. Just what will the elites do?

[@John-rr9fv]

Merry christmas

[@kevinbelden9065]

Lovely video, thanks!

[@alswann2702]

Thanks Mark

[@spo666tty]

Great to see your channel growing, Mark. Great video as usual!

[@jdoe3006]

learned about this first in the *Joyeux Noel* movie

[@spookbuster4862]

Merry Christmas everyone.

[@mikeymara411]

hey mark, i love your channel, your videos and your style. your voice, the music, and your editing make this feel like the World At War series, so your videos seem authentic and nostalgic. Thanks man, merry Christmas, Happy New Year. - tini tiny person from america

[@crunchies69]

Merry Christmas to you ,well told

[@mikehunt7977]

Merry Christmas Mark ❤

[@rolandfelice6198]

Always stirring and heart warming, this story needs to be told and retold. War is the product of avaricious leaders and crackpots. The sooner we are rid of them the better. Merry Christmas and a better 2019 to you all.

[@MT-tu8qd]

Merry Christmas

[@Silver-hg8iz]

Merry Christmas to you all

[@bhramyajitbanerjee3818]

Merry Christmas mark

[@DullerCrab]

Merry Christmas Mark :)

[@Roscoe_B]

I could not have gone back to shooting...character flaw I guess.

[@katel1272]

That's no flaw. That is humanity.

[@danielkonrad1444]

I would'nt have been able to start shooting at first.

[@amazoniancannibal4836]

"Remember it? I was never offside!" - Captain Blackadder. Apparently, several players on the winning German side played for Bayern Munich FC.

[@wiictvchannel1112]

It's awesome that they at least had one Christmas during WW1 just like in the American Civil War.

[@mazharaltaf4899]

Amazing

[@jaikumar848]

merry Christmas Mark ! could you please make video on German sub xxi or u21 ? not able to find English video on this.. and happy New year from India !

[@paulhoffman778]

To see them talking, shows me the real soldier and the humanity.

[@TheLoyalOfficer]

Should have ended the war right there.

[@stoneblue1795]

Peace between gentlemen. I like it.

[@fandangofandango2022]

We Need more Stories Like This

[@johnw.peterson4311]

“Only the dead have seen the end of war.” Heart wrenching! Poor British, Irish and German soldiers having to kill each other. And for what?

[@blueband8114]

Yes the Generals( usually at safe locations) couldn't have men not killing each other.

[@jamesavery3559]

thank you for the post, but remember what to the men on both side's after the truce was over.

[@ur2c8]

Now you need to do a video reminding us of exactly why they were fighting because I have forgotten.

[@kingerikthegreatest.ofall.7860]

Happy Christmas mark. The film joyeux noel is set around the 1914 Christmas truce.

[@cyberpimp29]

WW1 - the most senseless event in World History.

[@Memnoch4711]

There's also the amazing 2005 movie about the truce called Merry Christmas. Trailers are here on youtube.

[@hassenmsalbi9515]

717 likes.. 0 dislikes ! it looks like everybody admires what Mr Mark produces 😊

[@alanjones6359]

Should have said this to one a other sod this lads let's all go home - what could the generals on both sides do ?

[@creamytrumpet7435]

Same Christmas carols, same festivities, cousins with the same cultural roots yet they had to spend nearly another three years slaughtering each other and after all that it never became the war to end all wars. Monumental human folly.

[@krystian0128]

No more brother wars

[@nemosis9449]

I am not religious i have no belief but Merry Christmas to all.

[@frankwhite3406]

Merry Christmas Folks! :-)

[@godschosenpeople5084]

We need this again

[@147breaks]

We need a ww2 again then

[@mwewering]

You will have it

[@yoki978]

Imagine they yelled at each other from their trenches “Hey!” “Hey Merry Christmas”

[@marcusshaw3856]

All these solders should have got all the generals and politicians and made them fight it out.

[@paulaustin1234]

The sad fact about the Christmas truce was that the men on both sides could have had a great impact on ending this awful war.

[@itsjohndell]

Viewed "They Shall Not Grow Old" last week. and this is a great companion piece. What a meaningless and stupid slaughter WWI was. The Great War was The Great Mistake.

[@ghettomedic9971]

Too bad politicians and generals aren't thrown into the arena, and let them shed their own blood.

[@ProudCroat]

Happy Yule!

[@MyLateralThawts]

The Great Lost Opportunity for Peace!

[@chost-059]

I knew this was coming

[@ELCADAROSA]

My understanding is that the truce did not affect the whole line, but only small pockets of units. There was still much fighting going on during the whole time period.

[@jhfdhgvnbjm75]

Christmas 1914, the swan song of civilization :(

[@moo24251]

When writing this there are 849 likes to 0 dislikes How could anyone dislike this video Blessings to all

[@snubbedpeer]

It is curious that 1914 was the only year with a Christmas Truce.

[@individuum4494]

What's the music at the beginning?

[@DovahkriidRoy]

What is the piece played at the start of the video?

[@gavin_1973]

You know a war isn't worth fighting when you have to make sure your soldiers kill the enemy, not make peace, and the enemy has to do the same. When the higher command is having trouble creating conflict. When the trench boys are creating peace, and the leaders would not even think of it, since most had never experienced war themselves. When the officers have to say to the lower ranked soldiers "Hey! There's suppose to be a war here, Not peace! Now get out there and kill the enemy once again!" The Christmas of 1915, 1916, and 1917 wouldn't see this event again, for No Man's Land would be drowned out by artillery, and this peace was discouraged by higher ranks. Technology makes war less personal, creating less reason to stop it.

[@martinjott1040]

The men in the trenches on either side had more in common with each other than with their generals.

[@stevehansen5389]

No one hates war more than fighting soldiers.

[@aw8079]

War is unnatural.

[@paulvanappeven3340]

👍🏻

[@seankeogan5634]

People need to meditate on what Christmas is really all about

[@apatheticbystanders]

no more Brothers War!!

[@umvhu]

Draconian measures were enforced by the leadership on both sides to prevent it happening again in 1915. Peace on earth and good will to all men.

[@kaddahymohamed5130]

W wars were a big disgrace for humanity...😥

[@knutdergroe9757]

I find it funny when people pray for peace on earth. I work on a much smaller scale. Pray for peace of soul, And set the example...... If a enough...... True victory is there.... May your New Year be full of Blessings, my friend.

[@adrianlarkins7259]

Pure greed and envy was the cause of WW1. If the Kaiser had not been a nationalist hot head, it would never have happened. RIP the millions who died including my Grandpa. The unofficial truce showed where ordinary men's hearts really stood in Xmas 1914.